In the rock classic Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne enthusiastically asks, “Well, how did I get here?” Whether you believe in a roughly 6,000 year young earth created in six days or 3.5 billion of years of evolving life, the controversy over creation vs. evolution is an important part of our culture, and it has evoked strong emotions on the question of how we got here. Bits and pieces of answers to this question may be gleaned from a variety of sources, including science, philosophy, and religion. While none of these areas can give complete answers to the question of how we got here, it is exciting to explore how each area addresses the question differently. 

During a November 14 forum, Dr. Douglas Jensen, Assistant Professor of Biology and Chair of the Biology Department at Converse College, will address what types of answers science and religion give to this question and why scientists accept some answers while rejecting others. Entitled “Science, Religion, and Elegance: A Scientist’s View of the Evolution Controversy,” the forum will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Hartness Auditorium on the Converse campus. There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend. Sponsored by Converse, the forum is the second of the Ideas and Culture Forum series this year.

During his remarks, Dr. Jensen will focus on the

The Converse College delegation of the South Carolina Student Legislature (SCSL) was a dominant presence in the 45th annual Fall Session held at the Statehouse in Columbia Oct. 31-Nov.4. For the second year in a row, the Converse delegation was named Best Small Delegation. 

Jennifer Bradey ’03 served as Speaker Pro Tempore, and presided in the actual S.C. House chambers. She was also elected Lieutenant Governor for the upcoming year, and will serve on the state executive board for another term.

Danielle Davis ’04 and Selena Given ’03 served in elected positions as vice-chairs of the Education and Agriculture committees.

Frances Ackermann ’04 was appointed as one of the three members of the Senate to the Conference Committee.

Faculty & Staff 
Dr. Laura F. Brown, Assistant Professor of English, presented a paper, “The Case of the Mumbling Minister: Audibility in Elizabethan and Jacobean Ecclesiastical Texts,” in late October at a national conference, the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference, in Denver, Colorado.

Becky Dalton, Acquisitions Supervisor for Mickel Library, completed the Clemson Extension Service Master Gardener program. The program consisted of 40 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of community service relating to horticulture. Her community service projects included working at Hatcher Gardens in Spartanburg, and the Plant a Row Gardens in Spartanburg and Boiling Springs. She and many other volunteers planted, mulched, weeded, and harvested these gardens. The Spartanburg County Master Gardeners harvested over 10, 000 pounds of food which was donated to organizations within Spartanburg County to help them with their food budgets.

Dr. Thomas McDaniel, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, has been elected to the 2002 edition of Who’s Who in America on the basis of “notable contributions to higher education.” In addition, his recent article, “Schools, Standards, and the Sins of Socrates: Accountability Caveats for South Carolina Educators” appears in the fall issue of the Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina. He has another article this fall, “The Teacher’s Private Life: Legal Issues” in Teaching for Excellence.

Dr. Joe Dunn, Charles A. Dana Professor and Chair of History and Politics, was interviewed on internal Saudi politics in the Paris, France, newspaper Liberation. Additionally, he was the keynote speaker at a symposium on "Islam and World Conflict" in Pinehurst, NC. Other speaking engagements include the Veteran's Day speaker at Spartanburg Regional Hospital and interview on the Bill Drake WSPA radio show.

Dr. Melissa Walker, Assistant Professor of History and Politics, will make her PBS television debut on Monday, November 26. She was interviewed for a documentary called “Blenko Retro: Modernism and American Glass,” a show about Blenko collectible glass. Dr. Walker was specifically interviewed about post-World War II culture. The show will air on SCETV from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. that evening. 

Susan G. Ikerd, Vice President for Enrollment Management, presented "Today's Changing Students: Are We Meeting Their Needs?" (overview of generational change and the impact on the delivery of academic and student services) at the College Board National Forum in Denver, Colorado on October 30. She also presented "Expanding the Paradigm: Highlighting the Person in Enrollment Management" (juxtaposition of organizational dynamics, research and analysis and personal relationships in enrollment management) at the 11th Annual Strategic Enrollment Management Conference for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers in Toronto, Canada on Nov. 13.

Teresa Prater, Associate Professor of Studio Art, presented a paper on her sabbatical project "Seven Gates of Ritual" at Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC) on October 26. Two of her drawings were also selected for the SECAC Membership exhibition at the South Carolina State Museum. The Show runs through Jan. 1. 

Dr, Douglas Weeks, Babcock Professor of Piano, performed Lowell Liebermann's Second Piano Concerto with the Winterthur Symphony in Winterthur, Switzerland on October 31st.

Douglas Whittle, Assistant Professor of Art, David Zacharias, Associate Professor of Art, and Teresa Prater, Associate Professor of Art, have works in Artists OnLine, and exhibition at the Upstairs Gallery in Tryon, North Carolina.

*No student notes were submitted for this issue*